Don't Fall For the "3D Billboard" Videos, They're Fake

Hey, everybody! It's Jaywright, and today, I wanted to talk about these videos I've kept seeing in YouTube shorts of alleged "3D billboards," usually said to be in Japan or China. Spoiler alert, these are fake. Here's why.

As shown in this demonstration, were this billboard in real life, using known display technologies, it would only look right from ONE angle: The angle it "happened" to be filmed at. While it is theoretically possible that someone could invent a display that showed different images from different angles (and thus allowing a 3D look without glasses), there are some reasons I don't believe that these videos are showing such a technology.
First and foremost, each billboard only makes one appearance in one video as far as I've seen. For something so amazing, there should be dozens of clips from tourists and passer-bys, not to mention the company that makes the would-be revolutionary tech. But, we don't see these.
Second, the videos are always remarkably smooth, as if the person was using a gimbal for their camera (which they would want to do if they were planning on motion tracking). Again, excited tourists and passer-bys who would want to film the billboard would probably not ALL own and be using gimbals (or iPhone 14's with their expensive but amazing motion stabilization).
Third (and this is something the fakers could potentially alter, beware), the shots are always perfect in every other aspect. It's always filmed from the best angle to show the billboard off, no billboards are ever damaged, and they are apparently so bright that they have absolutely no visible reflections on their surface, which would reveal that they were actually a flat surface in a real world, no matter what kind of iridescent trickery they could perform.
Fourth (and again, this is something the fakers can potentially fix), all of the videos have either ambient noise or music for audio, but strictly no talking. Wouldn't the cameraman want to talk about how amazing the billboard was? Well, no, because other people that were really there would likely raise vocal questions about why he was praising a 3D billboard that wasn't, and that would ruin the shot. It may also be because the same cameraman is recording and VFX-ing all of these videos, and viewers would start to notice it's only one guy.

In short, while such a 3D display is theoretically possible, these videos are just fakes for clout, and you shouldn't waste your time with them. Commenting on the videos about this has just gotten me into arguments, once with a man who repeatedly assured me that he walks by such a billboard on his way to work, but then he disappeared as soon as I provided a way for him to send proof videos from a different angle. While VFX is an art form, using it to lie is an evil. But, using any art form to make analogy and point to The Truth is Good. I hope, and pray, that I've done that here; that you enjoyed, and were edified. Goodbye!

S.D.G.